Living Life
by EosAella
Summary: With less than a year until his sixteenth birthday Vlad realises that he's not going to find a way to prevent his transformation. So with the help of Chloe and Robin he decides to make the most of the rest of his life. Or at least try to...


Summary: With less than a year until his sixteenth birthday Vlad realises that he's not going to find a way to prevent his transformation. So with the help of Chloe and Robin he decides to make the most of the rest of his

life. Or at least try to...

"Garlic bread Vlad?"

"Thanks Mrs Brannagh." Vlad took a piece from the plate she was holding out.

It was just your average thursday evening, Vlad was round at Robin's for dinner because even though he knew his dad wouldn't like it was only six months until being at Robin's for dinner could mean something completely different.

In some ways he was already a bit different. Physically he looked paler and his hair was growing darker. He could completely control the fire thing (this he was pleased with, it was rather annoying being able to do it since he was fourteen but have no choice when). He had also noticed that since his last birthday he had steadily been getting stronger, faster, and his reflexes had improved.

Luckily he hadn't developed any of the weaknesses yet meaning that he could still go out during the day, he didn't have to fear Van Helsing trying to stake him in the middle of class and he could still eat garlic.

Speaking of which...

Robin gave him a strange look as he lifted the piece of bread to his mouth, "What?"

His friend looked pointedly at his hand, it was then that Vlad felt a slight tingling sensation in his fingers. He looked down and to his horror saw that his fingertips were smoking ever so slightly.

He jumped, dropping the bread onto his plate, earning him strange looks from four of the people at the table and sympathetic/knowing looks from the other two.

"Are you alright?" Asked Mr Brannagh.

"Yeah, fine thanks." he gave him a small smile.

'Ok' he thought, 'one weakness. That's not so bad'.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head as he saw the twins doing impressions of him before stopping at a glare from their mother.

Across the table from him Chloe caught his eye.

"You ok?" she mouthed.

He nodded shaking his still hurting hand slightly.

After dinner Chloe, Robin and Vlad all made their escape from the 'Brannagh family holiday picture bonanza' and snuck up to Robin's room.

"You're changing already aren't you?" Chloe asked a little sadly.

Vlad hadn't exactly told his friends yet.

"I've been changing ever since my last birthday. It's actually quite a gradual process, losing your reflection is just the last 'step' so to speak."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Asked Robin

"I just want to try and live normally until then. I can still do everything else, going out during the day or getting a splinter isn't going to reduce me to a pile of dust just yet. I'll just have to steer clear of garlic, I don't think that could kill me but it could seriously hurt..." Although he sounded optimistic the look on his face suggested otherwise.

Of course Robin being Robin didn't notice this.

"That's so cool! Do you have fangs yet? What can you do?"

Vlad smiled slightly at his friends enthusiasm. "No I haven't got fangs yet but they could start coming though anytime between now and my birthday. According to dad it will be sooner rather than later, I dunno why, he started saying something along the lines of 'us Dracula men' so I tuned out. I'm slightly faster, stronger, my reflexes are better as are my senses and I can do the fire thing."

"The fire thing?" Chloe asked. She spent less time around vampires than her brother so she hadn't witnessed this particular trait just yet.

"You've been able to do the fire thing for more than a year to be fair Vlad." Robin pointed out.

"Yeah... But now I can control it." He stretched his finger over to one of the many candles Robin had in his room (apparently it made it atmospheric) and it instantly lit.

"So that's the fire thing?" Chloe asked.

"I thought you meant you could do the big fireballs," Robin sounded disappointed, "Frankly that was pathetic."

"I can do the big fireballs Robin that was the first thing I could do. I just didn't much fancy blowing up your room." Vlad was slightly offended.

"Robin don't be mean." Chloe chastised her brother, "I'd like to see you light a candle with your finger."

Robin looked slightly abashed but then he perked up, "what about the voice thing?"

Chloe cringed, this she had witnessed.

"You can't do the until your fangs come through. It's a scare tactic meant for use on breathers or to intimidate other vampires. There's no need to use a scare tactic if you don't have fangs to follow through with it."

"So how will you know when you're fangs are coming through?" Robin asked.

"My mouth will start to hurt like hell." He answered bluntly.

"And then will you want to drink blood?"

"Robin!" Chloe interrupted, "Give him a break, what is this, twenty questions?"

Robin opened his mouth to retort but Vlad interrupted, "Yes." They both turned to look at him, "Remember Boris? Ingrid? I'll start wanting to... Well I'll get 'cravings' before my birthday."

"But you're not actually gong to?" Chloe asked taken aback by his answer.

"I'm trying to sweet talk my dad into buying soy blood but you know what he's like..."

"Tell me how that works out for you." Robin says.

"And if he doesn't?" Chloe prompted.

"Then," Vlad hesitated, "Then I won't really have a choice."

"Wicked." Robin broke the awkward silence that they had fallen into, "Will you bite me first?"

"What? No I'm not going bite anyone."

"What are you going to do then?"

"Honestly how many times have you been up to the castle? Those bottles of blood aren't just there for decoration you know." Vlad said with an exasperated sigh, "But hopefully it won't come to that and my dad will get some soy."

Chloe and Robin raised their eyebrows in a 'if you say so' look.

"I can hope." Vlad defended himself.

They continued with their looks of disbelief.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Vlad absentmindedly scratched the pads of the fingers that had been burnt earlier.

It didn't go unnoticed by the count.

"Vladdy? What's wrong?" He asked gesturing to his hand.

"What? Oh my fingers. I err well let's just say I can't touch garlic anymore."

"You're hurt?"

"No... It's fine now."

"Aww my little Vladdy is growing up! I didn't get an aversion to garlic until I had three months left. You must be an early starter... Oh! It will be your fangs next!"

"Great," Vlad said sarcastically, "That's just great."

"And then we can finally go out hunting, father and son. Of course it won't be as much fun until you get your full powers but we'll just call it practice."

"I'm not going hunting, especially not before my birthday and probably not after it."

"It's in your nature Vlad, you can't escape it, you're going to need blood. You're going to want it."

"I - I know." He decided not to argue the point then and there, somehow he knew that his dad wouldn't be in the mood today. "I think I'm going to go to bed." He mumbled quietly and left the room.

This whole life thing was going to be harder than he thought.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Now class settle down today we start a new project today." Mr Van Helsing drew a stake from his jacket, "Can anyone tell me what this is?" He asked the class.

"No one? This is a stake, good for two uses. To ash evil bloodsucking vampires" most of the class snickered at their teacher's supposed insanity, "and it also makes a pretty good backscratcher." He paused his walking round the class room to run the tip lightly down Vlad's back who arched away and turned around, stopping himself just before a hiss escaped.

"Get to work then."

Most of the class pushed their stools back and went to collect wood and tools.

"You too Vlad."

"I'm not making a stake."

"I don't believe you have a choice."

"I don't believe a breather like you could make me."

Van Helsing placed his stake on the table, tip down, menacingly.

"I'm not going to make a stake, in the eyes of the grand high council that would be treason."

The slayer stayed for a moment longer, not saying anything but just trying to stare him down.

He gave up and walked away.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Come here Vladdy." His father called him over to look at the catalogue he was holding, "I want you to come and choose a coffin."

"I don't need a coffin yet."

"Not yet no, but they always take ages to arrive so it's best if we order far in advance."

Vlad sighed and got up to go and stand next to his dad.

They spent a little while choosing and debating the merits of metal vs. wood before compromising on one with a round metal lid that opened outwards in two ways with a wooden underneath.

It was the most enjoyable time Vlad had spent with his dad in a long time.

Not that he'd tell anyone that of course.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Vlad yawned as he woke up. He hadn't gone to bed until really late last night, he and his dad had a misunderstanding based around the word bat.

Today wasn't going to be a good day he could tell, he was tired, his throat hurt for some reason and he had a sharp pain in his-

Oh no.

No no no no no!

Vlad ran to the mirror and pulled back his top lip, he groaned and stepped away from the glass.

He hadn't really needed to check in the mirror but this was one of those 'seen to be believed' moments.

He ran his tongue along his top teeth and sure enough there they were. Two sharp little points indicting exactly what he knew.

His fangs were coming through.

Vlad let out a dejected sigh, "Dad is going to be unbearable." He said to Zoltan.

"Your father will be proud master Vlad."

"That's what I mean."

Vlad winced as he bit into his toast, even eating bread hurt his mouth at the moment. The book hadn't been kidding when it said that fangs were painful (no pun intended).

"What is it Vlad? What's wrong?" Of course such action wasn't missed by the count.

Before he had a chance to reply his mouth was being wrenched open by his dad.

"Aha! I knew it! Your fangs. Right then. RENFIELD!"

"Yes master."

"Go open a bottle of someone important."

"Yes master."

"No!" Vlad shouted "I'm not drinking anyone. I still have months before my birthday, I'm going to live a normal life."

"Oh." he sounded slightly miffed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Vlad leant his head against the cool metal of the lockers, his eyes shut. He frowned slightly, the only outward sign of any pain.

"Vlad?"

He jumped back to see Mina Van Helsing the student councillor looking at him worriedly.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine thanks."

"You looked like you were in pain." she had always had a bit of a soft spot for him ever since the time he ended up in hospital because of an excursion to the dream world.

"I'm fine, honestly Mrs Van Helsing. I've just got a bit of toothache."

"Ok, if you're sure. Let me know if it gets any worse."

"Toothache?" A voice said behind him as she walked off. "You've got your fangs haven't you?" Robin asked.

Vlad avoided his gaze.

"You have! Can I see?"

"No! Besides, there's not really much to see, they're only just showing. It's a bit like teething only I doubt I can be distracted by biting colourful plastic rings."

"Yeah... You'll probably bite them in half."

Vlad gave him a look and they went off to lunch together.

"What's that?" Robin asked as Vlad took out a black sports bottle from his bag.

"I don't know but I have my theories. I knew I shouldn't have let Renfield near my bag this morning..."

He sniffed the bottle cautiously before pulling a face and putting it as far away from him on the table as possible.

"Well?" Asked Robin.

"What do you think?"

"A nice big bottle of B positive?"

"O negative" Vlad corrected automatically.

"What?"

"It's O negative... Not B - never mind."

Chloe joined them carrying a tray from the canteen.

"What's that?" She asked.

Vlad groaned and put his head in his arms.

"Vlad's lunch." Answered Robin. Then... "Ouch! Vlad what did you kick me for?"

"Oops. My foot must have slipped."

"What do you mean 'lunch' surely it's not..."

She reached across and picked up the bottle. She took off the lid and grimaced at the contents.

Taking the lid off hadn't been a good idea it seemed, the faint smell of the blood intensified and Vlad realised what his sore throat had been about earlier.

"Put the lid back on."

"What-"

"Please Chloe."

She frowned but did as he asked anyway. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you have a bottle of blood in your bag? Why are you acting like your very angry at something? And why did you need the lid back on so quickly?"

"When I woke up this morning my throat and mouth hurt, my fangs are coming through. My dad found out and must of had Renfield place that in my bag. When you took the lid off I could smell it, I'll give you three guesses about what the sore throat was."

"Oh." She said quietly.

For a moment no one did anything but then Chloe gently slid the the bottle across the table towards him.

"Go on." She said.

"What?" Vlad didn't understand.

She nodded towards the bottle.

"No." he shook his head, "I'm not drinking it." He sounded disgusted at the idea.

"We don't mind." She assured him.

"I think it'd be cool." Robin grinned.

"YOU would and even though you might not mind I'm pretty sure I would, and they definitely would." He nodded to where Jonno and Mr Van Helsing had just entered the canteen.

"But won't you, I dunno... Die or something?"

"Chloe I'm already dead."

"Oh, right."

Vlad put the bottle back in the bag.

Out of sight out of mind and all that.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The class had been working on their stakes for a few weeks now (bar Robin and Vlad) and were now nearly finished.

Jonno was looking forward to using his on Vlad in two months time. What a lovely birthday present it would make.

Lost in fantasies he wasn't paying attention and cut himself on the point of his own stake. He let out a small hiss of pain and put the weapon down.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Vlad sit up, not moving. His eyes flicked towards Jonno who was momentarily confused.

Of course!

He had slayer's blood and Vlad would be craving soon(or so his dad had told him). He picked up his newly made stake, ready to defend himself if necessary.

"Dad!" he hissed.

His dad looked up and saw Jonno holding a stake in one hand and nursing a bleeding cut on the other, standing in a defensive position his eyes locked on Vlad.

He rushed over to his side, picking up the example stake he had made to show the class.

Without warning the young vampire stood, grabbed his bag and left the room.

No one seemed to notice apart from Robin and the Slayers.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Vlad let out a deep breath an leant against a wall. Why did Jonno have to be so clumsy? He wouldn't be in this situation if the wannabe slayer hadn't managed to cut himself. The irony of a slayer almost being killed because of a stake wasn't lost on him.

He screwed up his face, upon smelling the blood the pain in his throat had increased a tenfold, it was now verging on unbearable. There was nothing he could do about it though, he didn't have any soy blood on him an he wasn't about to bite a breather.

Unless...

He rooted through his bag until he found what he was looking for. He lifted the black bottle up to his eye level and glared at it.

"Now then," he said fully aware he was talking to an inanimate object, "I don't really like you and I doubt you like me much after being stuck in a bag with my games socks all day but there's only one way out here. So let's just work together, I drink you meaning that you escape from the smell and I no longer want to go on a rampage. Deal?" He half expected an answer until he realised that it was still just a bottle of blood.

He closed his eyes and braced himself before gingerly lifting it to his mouth and pulling at the opening with his teeth, the top popped up and the smell from earlier drifted out just not quite as strong. He wrinkled his nose and hesitated for a second before tipping both his head back and the bottle. Instantly the liquid poured into his mouth, because his transformation wasn't quite complete yet he could still taste the metallic taste that any breather got if they tasted blood but he noticed that almost immediately the searing pain in his throat disappeared. He swallowed a couple of times before taking the bottle out of his mouth.

He held it up to the light to inspect and was surprised to notice that just over half of it was gone.

Dad was going to be even worse now.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"What the hell was this doing in my bag?" Vlad asked slamming the bottle onto the table in front of the count.

"Well I thought you might be hungry."

"So you just decide to get Renfield to put a bottle of blood in my bag?"

"Well... Yes."

"I've already told you I don't want to drink blood!"

"You're a vampire Vlad, you have to!"

"Yeah, after my sixteenth birthday. And it doesn't mean I have to like it."

When his father didn't reply he stormed off but stopped halfway up the stairs when he heard a call from behind him, "Don't think I haven't noticed Vladimir! This bottle was full when Renfield gave it to you!"

Vlad continued up to his room 'just wait 'til finds out I'm the chosen one or whatever it was' he thought as he flopped down in his bed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Happy Birthday!" Robin cried as he burst through the castle doors.

"Is it?" Vlad asked morosely.

"Of course it is!" Shouted the count, "The sun is hiding the birds are dead and my heir is about to receive his full powers! What could be better?"

"I can think of a few things." Muttered Vlad.

"Garlic in your morning blood." Said Ingrid at the same time earning her a glare from her father.

"When are you going down to the mirror room then?" asked Robin excitedly practically bouncing with anticipation.

"When the bells-" He was cut off by a loud 'dong' from above them "- apparently now." Vlad stood up and swallowed as his dad gripped his upper arm and started to practically drag him downstairs.

"Dad there's something I need to tell you-"

"Now now Vladdy this isn't the time, I already know about your little trips to the blood cellar."

"What little trips to the blood cellar? That was Ingrid!"

"Ah! A true son of mine, trying to pass the blame off."

"No that wasn't it!"

"Well what was it then?" asked the count as the doors to the mirror room opened.

"You know when you asked me if I was the chosen one or not when I woke up in hospital?"

"Yeah?" His dad said distractedly as he pushed him into the room.

Vlad turned to face the people standing there, "I lied."

The doors swung shut with a bang.

* * *

>So I still want this to be a one-shot because it is just meant to be about Vlad leading up to the change but I might do a bit of a continuation in the form of another one-shot :) I would deffinitely be more inclined to do this if I received reviews supporting the idea *hint hint nudge nudge wink wink*<p><p> 


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